December 8, 2014

Actually it hasn't been too cold outside. It's warming up a lot which is weird but awesome. I'm not complaining. Also, we had supper at the Ingram's last night and every dish had cilantro in it. Tender mercies of the Lord! Ha I keep laughing at the though of Johnny trying to eat a fish head. Poor fellow. 

On an important note: Happy Birthday Dad! On the 12th I will be dancing around the kitchen singing happy songs and making pancakes. I love you and am lucky to have you as my Dad. It was really neat, this week on exchanges I was visiting a lady named Lenae and I got to bare my testimony on how the family unit is eternal. In the scriptures God always uses the role of a father to help us understand his plan for us. The role of a father has been an irreplaceable foundation of His doctrine and will continue to be for the eternities. Considering His plan is for us to become like Him, how could families not be eternal? It's my favorite doctrine to teach and bare witness of. 

I was reading in John this week about how a prophet is never accepted in his own country, and I kept thinking that must be why they send us to areas not close to home. I laughed as I was tempted to tell the next person on the bus who rejected me to say, "Just you wait, I'm actually really big in China." But it hasn't come up yet. 

We volunteered at the Lutheran Home again, this time to wheel people in for a Christmas Caroling Sing a Long with a church. It was slightly awkward as the pastor had us all yell that we've been saved and wanted to make sure everyone in the room had accepted Jesus (pretty sure that was directed at our name tags), but the coolest thing happened! A girl came up to us and said "Hey I bet you don't recognize me without my uniform!" It took me a minute but it turns out, this girl was one of the security guards we talk to all the time on the buss, but she always seemed pretty quiet and reserved and not very open. She gave me a big hug and said she was excited to be able to really talk to us. In the midst of being "saved" we got to sing some carols and talk a little bit. Who knew that the big bad security guard is actually a big blonde softy who sings to old people with her church in her spare time? Ha we are excited to see her again and to talk a little bit more about the gospel with her. 

There's so much more to tell but I better save some stories for Christmas! I'm excited to see your faces and to hear all the good things that are happening.

 But before I go I have to tell you about my new favorite mission shirt. The old one had to go (I'll tell you that later, something about misinterpreting what the Spanish words on our shirts said). This one is bright blue and says Farmers Rock on it. I got it at Culvers, a fantastic burger place with seriously good custard. Anyways, when you get 10 "scoopie tokens" (they come with each kids meal) you can redeem them for scoopie gear, hence the shirt. When we were cleaning out a closet we found like 19 scoopie tokens and figured we better get ourselves a shirt. Luckily these are child shirts, that are large enough to fit children who consistently eat scoopie meals. We fit in just fine. Ha, anyways, I love you I love you I love you and my favorite scripture this week is D&C 68:6. 

 Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come.